Metal pot for slug casting machines



July 25, 1939. I E ROY- w. wlLLls METAL POT FOR SLUG' CASTING MACHINES Filed Sept. l5, 1938 jme/wim @le Taj Wwf/26 Patented July 25, 1939 UNITED STATES METAL POT FOR SLUG CASTING MACHINES Le Roy W. Willis, Stamford, Conn., assignor to Intertype Corporation, Brooklyn, N. Y., a co1'- poration of New York Application September 15, 1938, Serial No. 230,110

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in metal pots for slug casting machines and more especially to those of the general class disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 436,532, granted September 16, 1890, wherein lines of character ,bearing matrices are presented to one face of a slotted mold and an elongated mouthpiece on the metal pot is brought against the opposite face of the mold to cast a type slug therein, the metal pot usually having a pump therein which is operative at the appropriate time to inject a charge of molten metal from the metal reservoir through the metal pot throat and through orices in the mouthpiece and into the mold, after which the metal pot retreats and the slug is ejected from the mold.

In order to maintain the metal in the pot in molten condition and at the proper temperature to produce good type slugs, lit is customary to provide heaters which are applied to the main metal reservoir of the pot, and since the mouthpiece is located at the outer end ofthe throat and remote from the pot reservoinanother heater is usually provided to supply suicient heat to the throat and mouthpiece to insure the proper flow of the molten metal therethrough.

It is well known, in the operation of slug casting machines, that the temperature of the metal pot mouthpiece is an important factor in the production of satisfactory type slugs, and while it is the aim in practice to maintain the mouthpiece at a uniform temperature from end to end by applying a uniform amount of heat at all points along its length, it has been found that uniformity in the application of heat to the mouthpiece is not always desirable, and in any event, such manner of application of heat does not always result in uniformity of temperature throughout the length of the mouthpiece, due to a variety of conditions which are brought about when slugs oi different sizes are cast. Among these conditions is the additional amount of heat supplied to the mouthpiece due to the flow of a greater or less amount of molten metal through it according to the volume of metal required `to ll molds of different sizes. Another variable condition is that resulting from the introduction of more heat at one end of the mouthpiece than at the other end as when continuously casting short slugs.

The present invention relates more particularly to a metal pot having a gas burner for supplying heat to the mouthpiece thereof and the primary object is to provide simple and effective means for counteracting or compensating for these variable conditions by controlling the flame of such gas burner to maintain the mouthpiece at the proper Working temperature for the production of satisfactory type slugs, whether the demand be for uniform or for varying temperatures along different portions of the mouthpiece,-

the gas burner in part, at either end of the?` mouthpiece.

To these land other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations and arrangements ofv parts all as Willbe hereinafter more fully described, the features 'of nov-l elty'being pointed out more particularly in the claims at the end of this'sp'ecication.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a gas heated metal pot embodying the present? invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view, partly in section, of a portion of the metal pot shown in Fig. 1;

' Figure 3 is a vertical section, von an enlarged scale, taken on the linev3-3 in Fig. 2;

Figure 4 is a detail perspective View of one of the regulating sleeves for the gas burner.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in the several figures.

The invention is shown in the present instance? as applied to a gas heated metal pot of the well known kind generally used in slug casting-machines, it comprising a Crucible I supported in a jacket 2 having a cover 3, the crucible carrying a supply of molten type metal and having a' pump Well which communicates with the eXterior or metal reservoir portion of the crucible, the molten metal being forced upwardly through the throat portion 4 of the Crucible by actuation of a pump plunger 5 so that the molten metal:

passes through an elongated mouthpiece 6 intothe elongated slot 1 of a mold 'la against the rear face of which the mouthpiece engages during the slug casting operation, the mold slot 'l being closed at the front during suchv operation by a` line of matrices M. The mouthpiece is secured to the upper end of the metal pot throat in the usual or any suitable manner, as by screws and bolts (ia and 6b, and it is provided with a row of orifices 6c which are aligned with the throat and with the mold slot during the slug casting operation, as is usual in the operation of slug casting machines.

The metal pot as shown is of a Well known kind in which the type metal therein is kept in molten condition by an externally applied gas burner 8 and a throat and mouthpiece gas burner 9, these f burners being suppliedy with a combustible gas from a suitable source.

The gas burner 9 is supported by flanges I0 at g fao opposite sides of the mouthpiece, these iianges having holes Il therein through which the gas burner 9 extends, and this gas burner is connected to the end of the gas supply pipe i2. The burner 9 is provided with a double row of jet orifices 9a toward each end and with a single row of jet orifices 9b along its intermediate or central portion so that normally a greater amount of heat will be supplied to the ends than to the central portion of the mouthpiece, the burner being so located that the gas flame from the orifices therein will contact with the metal pot at or near the mouthpiece.

According to the present invention, means is provided for controlling the heat supplied to the mouthpiece over different portions of its length and particularly at the ends thereof, such controlling means preferably comprising sleeves I3, one for each end of the burner 9, these sleeves being mounted rotatably on and closely and frictionally engaging the burner, the burner and the sleeves being preferably of cylindrical form, as shown. Each of these sleeves projects through the respective iiange lil to the exterior side thereof and is provided with an arm ill for rotating the same. Each of the sleeves i3 is provided with a longitudinal slot i5 which is sufficiently wide circumferentially to expose both rows of orifices 9a at the respective end of the burner 9, and these sleeves extend inwardly from the ends of the burner as far as the double rows of orices extend therefrom. Adjustment of one or the other of the regulating sleeves I3 is accomplished by setting it in either of two positions, as will be clear from Fig. 3. When the sleeve is rotated so that the arm i4 is brought against a stop pin I6, both rows of orifices 9a in the burner will be exposed so that the gas ame will issue therefrom and more heat will be supplied to the respective end of the mouthpiece than to the central portion thereof, and when the arm is brought against a stop pin I1 only one row of the orices 9a will be exposed so that the gas flame will issue from such single row, and the amount of heat supplied to the respective end of the mouthpiece will be thereby reduced.

According to the present invention, the flame will not be cut off entirely at either end of the burner, it being of primary importance that at no time shall the mouthpiece be allowed to chill at either end, as would result if the burner flame were so cut off. Thus, it should be understood that according to the present invention, at least some ame must burn at all times from end to end of the burner so that the orices toward the ends of the mouthpiece will at no time become so chilled as to permit the metal pumped into them to solidify` It will be apparent to those familiar with the operation of machines of the class to which the invention applies that such condition of chilling and solidication of metal in the orices of the mouthpiece would be intolerable since the operator would be compelled to wait until the chilled metal had been either drilled out or melted again through the application of excessive heat before he could cast slugs of such length as would require the flow of metal through the clogged orices.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be understood of course that the invention is not restricted thereto. It will be obvious that the sleeves I3 for the gas heater may vary in form and may be mounted for rotation in the flanges I0 instead of being mounted directly on the burner 9, and they may be spaced peripherally a slight distance away from the burner so as to act only as a shield to deect or baflle the flame issuing from one of the rows of orifices rather than to cut olf the flame entirely as happens when the sleeves t snugly over the burner as herein shown.

The invention contemplates adjustment of the gas heating means of the metal pot in such a manner that the heat supplied thereby will be applied to the mouthpiece in greater or less degree over different portions of the extent or length thereof and particularly toward at least one end thereof, according to the varying conditions and requirements of service, the adjustment permitting alteration of the extent of the mouthpiece subject to the full heating action of the gas burner so that the desired temperature conditions, Y.

whether uniform or variable, can be more readily obtained and controlled. Such adjustment of the gas burner enables its heating effect upon different extents of the length of the mouthpiece to be relatively varied in a simple and effective manner independently of regulation of the actual source of gas supply and while the gas used as the heat producing medium is fed to the burner means at a constant or normal rate.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a slug casting machine having a metal pot with an elongated mouthpiece, a single gas burner extending longitudinally beneath the mouthpiece and having a greater heating capacity toward its ends than along its central portion for normally supplying heat along all portions of the mouth piece and to normally supply more heat at at least one end thereof than along the remaining portion thereof, and an adjustable member having stop means for setting it in one or the other of two different positions of adjustment to vary the heating capacity of the burner at said end thereof to respectively permit a normal supply of heat at said end of the mouthpiece or to reduce such supply to an amount substantially equal to the supply along the remaining portion thereof independent of the source of supply of gas thereto.

2. In a slug casting machine having a metal pot with an elongated mouthpiece, a gas burner extending longitudinally of said mouthpiece and adapted normally to burn with a greater flame toward at least one of its ends than along the central portion thereof, and a sleeve rotatable about the burner and adjustable to permit the f iiame to burn toward said end but to an extent less than normal.

3. In a slug casting machine having a metal pot with an elongated mouthpiece, a gas burner extending longitudinally of said mouthpiece and having jet oriiices distributed longitudinally thereof, a greater number of such orifices being provided toward each end than in the intermediate portion of the burner to permit the latter to burn with a greater flame toward its ends than its intermediate portion, and independently adjustable sleeves rotatable about the respective ends of the burner and adapted to cut off a portion of the orices at one or at both ends to thereby reduce the amount of flame burning at the respective end or ends of the burner.

LE ROY W. W'ILLIS. 

